Members of Ulfhrafnar can take part in combat, living history or both - many of our members practise more than one skill, and we're incredibly proud to have been recognised by The Vikings for our living history displays and our teamwork on the battlefield. Below are some of our members' characters and the crafts that we can demonstrate. You can see frequent updates on what we're making and showing on our facebook page.

Ingulf Gustafson has traveled far and wide for his age. Raised on a large farm at the bay of Aros (on the East coast of Jutland, Denmark) as the third son of Gustaf Eirikson, he was trained in trade and warfare and traveled first east to Birka, then west to the Saxon lands, followed by another two years at the trade centre Foteviken in southern Svearike, before deciding to join the Heathen Army to win land to settle.

Ragnhild Haraldsdottir grew up as the youngest daughter of a wealthy blacksmith near Horsens. She was taught all the skills of a good house wife and keeper of keys from her mother. On Ingulf Gustavson’s travels he met Ragnhild while negotiating with her father. As both families would gain through an alliance a marriage was set. Ragnhild accompanies Ingulf on his trading travels ensuring that there is enough food for members of Ulfhrafnar, and is the one behind the scenes making sure everything runs smoothly. 

Hwæt! We have heard of the spear-Danes, in the days of old - and we would likely have heard of their deeds accompanied by the playing of a lyre, like the one played by Eadwin. We think that bards (“scops” in Old English, or “skalds” in Old Norse) would accompany their storytelling with the lyre, and Bede’s story of Cædmon refers to the community of Whitby Abbey passing round a lyre while talking and singing after dinner. Eadwin particularly enjoys reciting The Dream of the Rood.  (Top photo by Andy Ffrench for the Oxford Mail).

Tryggulf is our resident silversmith. He makes chains using trichinopoly or wire weaving techniques and crafts silver and gold finger rings. Alongside these everyday items, he also casts and shapes silver fittings for drinking horns used in feasting halls and ceremonies.

Cyneswithe (left) and Idun Ingulfsdottir (top right) are skilled weavers - they use their tablet-weaving looms to make all sorts of items, from practical belts to fancy brocaded trims for clothes and wall hangings. The belt shown was made by Cyneswithe. It is based on a find from Cambridge, and is made from fine wool. Other members of the group demonstrate spinning and dyeing - you can see some of their natural dye results here.

Working out patterns and keeping track of how to turn and flip the square wooden tablets that hold the warp threads requires the mind of a computer programmer… and in real life, Cyneswithe has actually made a web app to help others design their creations. You can find it at twistedthreads.org. Cyneswithe also has a website with details of historical tablet weave designs and how to make them. 

Wulfhild is an English leech or doctor. She understands the power of prayer and ritual, and the healing properties of plants and other natural substances to cast out sickness. But she is very much a pratical doctor - prayers and charms are adjuncts to medicines, poultices and dressings that can draw out poisons and help the body heal. Here, she is treating Ragnhild for a nasty case of "black blains" caused by a dog bite. (Photo by Agnes Zankl).

Wulfhild has written a guide to showing early medieval English medicine in a living history encampment, which you can download here. You can also watch a video of Wulfhild and her colleague Ban debate how to cure a show attendee's headache here. (Ban is very keen on trepanning, Wulfhild is not sure!)

Grimnir Tyrsson is our brewer - he keeps our village supplied with beer and mead. His display of ingredients and materials includes his well-used stirring sticks or “magic sticks.” Each stick is re-used every time Grimnir makes a particular brew. It is infused with yeast from the last batch to provide a starter culture. We don’t think early medieval people understood what yeast was, but Grimnir knows which staff to use to start his batches fermenting and produce the right flavours.

Grimnir is writing a guide to showing brewing in a living history encampment, which will be available here once it has been finalised.

Sister Æscwynn is the magistra, or teacher, at her nunnery: she teaches the novices and younger nuns how to read both English and Latin.  Æscwynn also looks after her nunnery's archive of documents, including the precious founding charter which gave the nunnery its land. 

Æscwynn's monastery is fictional, and so is the charter she composed - but it is closely based on extant early medieval English land charters and it incorporates details of local landmarks similar to those used to define real land grants. You can read about it in more detail here.